Securitas Direct Verisure France’s new management training programme “The Boss” is modelled on the international reality TV show The Voice. The idea is for participants to learn to become better managers while also having fun. We asked Aurelie Mougeotte, Human Resources Director in France, to take us behind the scenes:

The Boss seems a fun format for a management course. Where did you get the idea from?

Securitas Direct Verisure France is a very young workplace. The average age of people working here is 30 and average seniority in the company is around two and a half years. We wanted to offer management training that was different from the traditional type of training programme, so our external training consultant came up with the idea to create something based on The Voice TV show.”

The idea is to develop management skills while also having a good time?

“Exactly. We are an innovative company. One of our values is innovation and we wanted to reflect that in our training – to offer something innovative and different. Something that’s also really fun and engaging.”

What prompted you to do this now?

“The maturity of the organisation really demanded it. We are close to 1,400 staff now in France and our management team is quite young. There was a feeling both from the executive committee and the annual employee survey that people wanted training in management issues. So we’ve responded to that.”

What are the main focus areas?

“The programme starts with bringing recognition and strengthening ties and then looks at target requirements and the importance of focusing on the basics. The next stage involves giving your team confidence and transmitting energy, and also how to assert your authority and deal with conflicts. After that we address how managers can help their people to develop and how they provide vision and get their team committed.”

When did the course start and who’s involved?

“We started in October and will finish in June with a final in which a jury will choose the best team and the best candidate (The Boss)! We started off with 42 managers, who each had a two-minute audition on stage in front of six coaches, who are six members of the French executive committee, to introduce themselves as being a manager and why they wanted to be part of the programme. From them, each coach chose seven managers to be a team.”

As well as external coaches, some of our own people are involved, right?

“That’s right. As well as external coaches and tutors, there will also be a coach from executive management. At the end of the programme, a jury will vote to decide the winner. The jury will be four people – two from outside Securitas Direct Verisure and two from inside the company, including Olivier Allender [General Manager France]. When the next season of The Boss starts in the autumn, the winners from this first season will be the coaches and they will select which managers participate in their team.”

What feedback are you getting?

“The teams have had great fun during the sessions! They see it as a really valuable way to build their network within the company, and to share in a manager role. At each training event, two executive committee members sit in with the participants. That’s great for dialogue and building bridges and also a way to exchange management practices.”

How will The Boss benefit the French organisation going forward?

“It’s a very hands-on programme and gives managers really concrete tools to help them be excellent managers at Securitas Direct Verisure France. And the training doesn’t stop at the end of the course. When they return to work after a training event, we give the managers a short training support with tools for them to apply immediately with their team.”

Securitas Direct Verisure Group is a leading European provider of professionally monitored fire and intrusion alarms that include response services. The customer offering covers the whole value chain – from product development, design and sale to installation, service and a 24/7 professional monitoring solution. Thanks to a strong focus on high quality, the company’s 2 million customers are among the most satisfied in the industry. The company is present in 14 countries across Europe and Latin America and has more than 9,000 employees and partners. The group has grown to be the second largest home alarm provider in the world.